Unchained Hearts
by ficreads
Summary: After losing her husband, Aspen finds herself moving halfway across the country with her son to live on a reservation in search of a quiet life. To her, she was never supposed to move on to another man but when Paul Lahote steps in her life insisting that he belongs there, she finds herself pushed into a world she could never have even dreamed of filled with secrets and legends.


Prologue

Once Tristan passed, there were no more bright days. In fact, it felt as though a heavy fog seemed to linger throughout Aspen's house and into her body beginning with her heart and then her mind. She hadn't even realized that she was such a mess until the night that her son so effortlessly and so gently broke her heart.

Landon was cuddled tightly into her side in her bed with his head resting on her chest as she rubbed his back. She had just finished reading him one chapter from _Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone_ —a book that Tristan had always read to him before making him go to sleep, when he lifted up his head and his blueish, grey eyes shifted toward her muddy brown pair. "Mama?" He asked her, his voice sleepy.

"Yes baby?" She questioned.

"I miss you." He said catching her off guard. By then, he wasn't looking at her anymore. His eyes had casted downward. "When Daddy left you did too.. In a different way."

Aspen's heart ached hearing those words. The words that a child should never have to say to their parent who was right there, who had always been there. She hadn't even realized how lost in her mind she had been in the recent weeks that had passed but in that moment she decided that he deserved better. They both did.

They needed a fresh start.

Chapter One

It had taken about two weeks for us to finally get settled into our house. For me, that seemed like a decent move but I had only been able to unpack our things so quickly because I still found it difficult to sleep at night. In our old house, I had let Landon sleep in our bed every single night since Tristan's passing because it felt that we both needed it but here, I wanted for things to feel a little normal. Even if it meant having him sleep in his own room which left me awake at night wishing someone was in the bed with me.

Another part of the reason that I was able to unpack so quickly was because I didn't unpack any of Tristan's things. All of his clothes and shoes were all boxed and closed into an extra room along with most of the things that were in his office at the old house and from his job. I knew that I couldn't keep them in there forever but I felt that I did good enough being that I was able to put some of his valuables around the house like his bookshelf with all of his favorite books that I had pushed against our bedroom wall.

"Beach!" Our four-year-old, Landon, said with excitement as he entered my bedroom. It felt strange to say that. A few of Tristan's things may have still been in the bedroom but he was no longer here. He didn't like in the room and he had never stepped foot in the house before. This was completely and entirely my own bedroom. "You promised that we could go to the beach today!"

"I know I did." I said from my position on the edge of my bed. He had caught me staring at a few of the book spines that were on the bookshelf. "Why don't you put a couple of towels into the backpack that you want to take with us? That way, I can get changed into my bathing suite." I suggested. I couldn't help but to smile at my beautiful boy. He was nearly a spitting image of his father with his blue-grey eyes and his dark hair. What he did get from me was a killer dimple on his left cheek.

"Okay, Mama." He said, flashing that dimple at me along with his pearly whites. I had to admit, even the sight of his smile caused my own to form.

When we arrived at the beach, there weren't many people around. It was the exact reason that I chose to start over here. I lived close enough to other people but not as close as I did to my gossipy neighbors back in Dallas. The season was also very different here. Scratch that, there are no such things as season's in Texas. It either hot or cold and sunny or rainy.

Landon and I entertained ourselves by walking along the shoreline in search of seashells and going into the water but not too far in. I had never quite picked up on swimming but I would never admit that to my son. I always just figured that swimming was a useless skill that could be avoided.

"Look at them Mama!" Landon shouted in awe as he pointed up toward a few cliffs. It took me a moment to fully understand what he was wanting for me to see but then I saw it. My eyes even widened at the sight as a boy was pushed off of a cliff and into the water by two other chuckling boys that dived in after him. This time, all three boys came up laughing.

The sight alone caused for my stomach to turn. The sport was dangerous and I could only hope that it wasn't something that the children around here did for fun. I couldn't even register what would happen to me if Landon were to try it out and end up hurt. "That's incredibly dangerous Landon. I don't want for you to ever get any ideas like that in your head."

"I won't." He said, though a bit of disappointment crossed his features. "Promise." He said, crossing his heart. It was an action that I hated but Tristan always did it. I guess that Landon picked it from him. He must have known that I would be giving him a disapproving look because from their, a smile crept into his features and her began to run toward the water. "Come get me Mama!" He yelled.

Immediately, I panicked. He was insane, my son was absolutely insane. One of those cliche children that ended up running right into danger as if they had no idea that it was to come. Well of course he would, he thought he was safe with a mother that knew how to swim. Nonetheless, I chased him into the water at a fast pace. "Landon! You know better than to run right into the water."

Then, as if the devil himself had reached up and grabbed him by the foot to pull him under the water, Landon was pulled into a wave and sucked underneath it. "OhmyGod!" I rushed out in a panic, doing my best to run in the water though it seemed to resist. "Someone help!" I shouted out desperately as I did my best to see into the water without having to dunk my head into the water. "Please!" I screamed, by now the water had risen to my chest and when a wave would come, it sent saltwater into my mouth and nostrils. "Landon?" I cried out trying to do my best doggy paddle.

Just as tear had began to fill my eyes, someone grabbed my by my arms and was hauling me back toward the water. I didn't even give them a glance before I started to fight to free myself from them. "Let me go!" I screamed at him. "My baby! I have to get my baby!" My voice wavered at that and the tears began to spill from my eyes.

"He's okay," The person said, a masculine voice. He forced me to sit down on the sand and look up at him while he seemed to check me for scars or scratches, maybe even a hint of delirium. "Paul's got him."

"Who?" I demanding, my eyes shifted toward the area around us to see a man, leaning over my son who was laying on the ground. "Oh God, Landon! Landon?" I asked, immediately standing and running toward him using the remaining adrenaline I had.

"I'm sorry Mommy." He said, tears were in his eyes by now but I didn't even care if he was crying out of fear of getting in trouble. I didn't care that he had been so reckless, I was just happy to have him alive.

"It's okay baby. It's okay." I cooed while I pulled him into my arms and rocked him back in forth while I held him to myself. Eventually, my eyes wandered to the tan man that kneeled across from us. "T-Thank you so much." I said, lifting a hand to wipe my wet cheek. For a moment, the man seemed unsure of what to say to me. He only stared at me as if he was surprised by something. Had he not expected for me to thank him?

"It's all good." He said gruffly then he stood and with that, he was standing up as if he was getting read to walk away from us.

The man that had grabbed me from the water must have been his friend because he swooped in just in time to save him from looking like an ass by placing his hand on his shoulder. "You really need to be careful out there little guy." The friend said to Landon who nodded obediently. "My name is Jared and this is Paul." He said looking at his friend who was staring at me with such intense eyes that it made me blush.

So my saviour's name was Paul. I would surely have to give him my gratitude later. "My name is Aspen. This is my son Landon." I said as I took a quick glance down at him.

It was Jared that spoke again this time. "You must be new around here. I think that I would have noticed someone like you around here before. Some who's-"

"Stupid enough to move out near a beach when they don't even know how to swim." Said Paul causing my blush to only darken.

I frowned up at him and stood up, holding my son in my arms though he was far too old for it. "Excuse me? You don't know anything about me."

"I know that you could really use a swim lesson or two." Paul managed to say before Jared shoved his side.

"He's kidding." Jared insisted but it didn't seem to be true.

"Whatever, Thank you. For everything. Such a warm welcome, really." I spat and with that, I turned away from the two boys and carried my son toward our things. In seconds, I had wrapped Landon in a blanket and put the backpack on a shoulder before making my way toward home. If I never had to see Paul again it would be too soon.

This would be the first and last time that we would take a visit to the beach.

 **A/n:** _Hello everyone! I'm pretty excited about this story and I have a pretty clear idea of where I would like to take this. Please let me know if you are interested in more!_


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